I. Purpose

To set forth policy regarding admissions policies.

II. Definitions

No policy specific or unique definitions apply.

III. Board of Regents Policy

A. The board shall provide for differential admissions policies on system campuses and clear communication of university expectations to prospective students. In pursuing this purpose, the board intends to provide for a mix of students while ensuring preference for qualified Hawai‘i residents. In doing so the following principles are established:

1. The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu shall utilize selective admissions criteria for all colleges and programs.

2. The University’s community colleges shall be open admissions institutions to which all residents who are high school graduates or age 18 and over and can benefit from the instruction offered shall be admitted. This policy does not preclude selective admissions to specific programs of the community colleges where pre-requisite skills and knowledge are necessary for program success or where student demand exceeds the available resources of the college.

3. Each chancellor that uses selective admissions criteria for undergraduate admission shall develop, in concert with campus administrators and faculty:

a. Admission requirements communicated to assure prospective applicants who meet them of admission to the campus.

b. Other admission criteria that are used to determine the admission of students who do not meet the higher, assured admissions criteria.

c. Assured admission requirements and other criteria shall be published in college catalogs and otherwise widely publicized to allow students to plan in advance for entering the campuses of the university.

B. Differential admissions policies may be established for resident and non-resident students. In establishing admissions criteria for non-residents, the campuses shall utilize the following principles:

1. A public university’s first responsibility is to provide higher education opportunities for qualified students from the community that supports it.

2. No qualified resident applicant should be denied admission to a university campus. Implementing this policy is a major responsibility of both the two-year and baccalaureate granting campuses.

3. At all campuses, but particularly at the community colleges, programs established for the explicit purpose of educating and training students to meet state manpower needs have a special obligation to admit qualified residents who can reasonably be expected to remain in the state upon graduation.

4. Graduate and professional programs have a special responsibility to admit the most qualified students while demonstrating that every effort is made to enroll resident applicants who compete favorably in the admissions process.

5. Professional programs at the four-year and graduate level must be cognizant of their responsibility to educate adequate numbers of resident professionals to serve state needs. In addition to these numbers, qualified nonresidents who pay a higher tuition can enhance the mix of students.

6. In general, the admission of nonresidents should give priority to those who can derive special benefit from focuses of the university.

7. Campus ceilings for nonresident undergraduate enrollments shall be established by the president in consultation with the board. The president shall promulgate policies and procedures relating to the establishment of the ceiling.

C. Graduate admissions criteria are established by program faculty with the approval of the chancellor.